Police Summon VeryDarkMan Over Controversial Statement At NBA Conference

The Nigeria Police Force has invited social commentator Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), to substantiate certain allegations he made against police personnel at the recently concluded Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Conference in Port Harcourt.

VDM had alleged among other things that police officers manning checkpoints along major highways provide kidnappers and bandits with information about the identity and movement of travellers, thereby facilitating abductions for ransom.

But the Force, in a statement issued on Thursday by its Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, rejected the allegations as “unsubstantiated and unfairly damaging” to the institution.

The police said allegations of such gravity required further clarifications backed by irrefutable evidence, stressing that the claim had not been backed by credible evidence.

“For the avoidance of doubt, police personnel deployed to checkpoints and other locations nationwide are there to prevent crime, detect criminal activity and protect citizens, not to facilitate kidnapping,” the statement said.

The Force noted that its personnel routinely confront the criminal elements they are accused of assisting, adding that police officers and operational facilities had repeatedly come under attack by terrorists, kidnappers and other violent criminals.

“Police personnel have been ambushed, attacked and killed, while police stations, formations and operational assets have equally been targeted by terrorists, kidnappers and other violent criminals,” it said.

Defending its personnel, the Force said the Nigeria Police Force comprises hundreds of thousands of officers who report for duty daily under difficult, underfunded and often dangerous conditions.

It stated that many officers deployed to checkpoints were themselves exposed to criminal elements while carrying out their responsibility of securing the nation’s highways.

According to the police, sweeping accusations portraying the entire Force as complicit in kidnapping were “deeply demoralizing” to officers who serve with integrity.

The Force, however, acknowledged that individual officers could be investigated and sanctioned where evidence established wrongdoing.

“Where individual officers are found to have compromised their duty, they will face the full weight of internal discipline and the law,” the statement said.

“But an entire institution should not be condemned on the strength of a public statement made without evidence,” it added.

Against this backdrop, the police formally invited VDM to produce evidence supporting his allegations, particularly his claim that officers identify wealthy travellers at checkpoints and subsequently pass their details to kidnappers.

“Accordingly, the Nigeria Police Force hereby invites Mr. Martins Vincent Otse to produce, without delay, the evidence upon which he based these serious allegations,” the Force said.

It promised to treat any evidence supplied with urgency and subject it to thorough investigation.

“Any such information will be treated with urgency and investigated thoroughly,” the statement added.

The police also urged members of the public with credible evidence of officer misconduct to come forward through appropriate channels to enable investigations and appropriate action.

The Force reiterated its commitment to transparency and accountability, saying it would continue to investigate credible allegations of misconduct “however they arise” and would not hesitate to act where wrongdoing was established.

It also cautioned the public against making or circulating unverified allegations concerning national security institutions.

“The Force calls on members of the public to exercise responsibility in making and sharing allegations concerning national security institutions and to distinguish between legitimate criticism, which strengthens accountability, and unsubstantiated claims, which can endanger public trust and national security,” it said.